MAYFLOWER, Ark. — Crews recovered about 4,500 barrels of oil and water after a crude oil pipeline ruptured in central Arkansas, officials said Saturday.

An ExxonMobil pipeline sprung a leak Friday afternoon in Mayflower, a small city about 20 miles northwest of Little Rock.

ExxonMobil and local officials said in a Saturday news release that they suspected a few thousand barrels of oil spilled but are preparing a response for more than 10,000 barrels “to be conservative.”

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the spill. The city said Saturday that it recommended that 22 area homes be evacuated. On Friday, officials put the number of homes at dozens.

Crews have mobilized more than a dozen vacuum trucks to the site to clean up the oil, according to the news release.

Professional hygienist authorities are also monitoring air quality, officials said. There are precautions in place to keep oil away from nearby Lake Conway, the news release said.


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